The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-01-11
Prominent Negro Politicians.

to order for the first time since the adOp-
ton Of the fourteenth amendment no
negro will have a scat IN the National
Legislature.
There are two negroes in the present
House Of Representatives, O'Hara, Of
North Carolina, and Smalls, Of South
Carolina. Both were defeated in the re-
cent election. In O'Hara's district there
was a contest between the pure blacks
and the mulattoes. O'Hara is about the
color of ripe pumpkin and rather airy.
He is king Of the half breeds in his section
hut the pure blood darkics grew tired Of
his dictation. The Republican Conven-
ton, composed almost entirely Of ne
groes, broke up in row, dividing on yell
low and black lines. The buff statesmen
nominated O'Hara and the black put up
. candidate of their own color, who is
said to be the blacklist negro in North
Carolina. The Democrats, approaching
the situation, nominated candidate and
elected him. The "brother in black"
beat the 'brother in buff" but both
were defeated by the Democrat, who will
take his seat without contest.
In Smalls' district there was consider
able dissatisfaction among the colored
voters, but Smalls scooped the nomina-
tion Of his party without much difficulty.
It had been considered useless for a
Democrat to run in this district, which
was gerrymandered so as to include q
great majority of blacks and leave the
other districts of the State safe to the
Democrats, but the nomination was ten
and he accepted it. He had every ad-
vantage that white man could possess
in such district. All the negroes knew
him. He had been conspicuous as their
friend in the courts where he had ap-
peared as defending and prosecuting g
counsel for colored clients when race
prejudice ran high. He had done many
substantial favors for his negro neigh
bors, and was known throughout the
district as one who was ready to stand
ny man in the right regardless Of his
color. He made an active canvass Of
the district; met the negroes face to
face; showed how he had been their
friend, and asked them to support him;
thousands Of them did go, and the re-
suit was that he beat Smalls about 500
votes. The result was a great surprise
to Smails, who had counted on the solid
support Of the negroes in his district.
he is going to contest Colonel Elliotrs
seat on the ground that the polls were
not opened in some Of the precincts ut
the proper hour.
Smalis owes his prominence in South
Carolina to daring act which he per-
formed during the siege Of Charleston in
tn" late war. He was pilot and knew
the harbor perfectly. Though in the
service Of the Confederate government.
he naturally sympathized with the Fed
eral cause and watched for AL opportu-
nifty to do it service. One night he
succeeded III stealing the steamer
''Planter," having won the crew over to
his plot. ran it past the Confederate gun
boat and Fort Sumter, and delivered it
to tha yankee fleet at daybrcak next
morning. 1t was converted into n gun
boat, and under the pilotage of SmalIs
did efficient service against Charleston.
For this bold act he was kept on the
the payroll Of the Union navy during
the war, and Congress passed an act ap-
propriating to him half the assessed
value Of the steamer, about $4,000, |
think. The other half went to the crew
who came ou: with Smalls.
Hiram =. Revcls. Of Mississippi, was
the first nagro to occupy seat in the
United States Senate. He served from
1860 to 1875. When he went out an
other negro, Blanche X. Bruce, came in
from the same State. He retired from
the Senate in 1881, and was Mt once ap-
pointed by President Garfield Register
Of the Treasury. He held that position
until President Cleveland put General
Rosccrans in his place about eighteen
months ago. Bruce owns two large
plantations in Mississippi, and is worth
$2OO.OCO. He lives in Washington in a
house of his owu and in considerable
style. His wife is SO light that she Ii
generally mistaken for white woman.
Revels is farming in Mississippi and is
we'll off. He and Bruce are the onlv